Southern Regional Chrysler and Imperial Meet, June 7-8, 2002

The 2002 Annual Southern Imperial and Chrysler Meet was held in Chattanooga, TN, on June 7-8, 2002. The event was a great success with 21 cars and many owners and enthusiasts in attendance.
This year's Meet began on Friday as attendees gathered at the home of Robert and Laqueta Soule near Chattanooga, TN.

The weather was excellent for both days of the meet, which made the
experience all the more enjoyable. Scenic Chattanooga provided an terrific
location, and many folks took the opportunity to explore some of the area
attractions, including the Aquarium, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Incline Railway,
Rock City, and other parts of Lookout Mountain. The Imperials and
Chryslers were right at home amidst the beautiful scenery of East Tennessee

Here's the full list of attendees for the meet:

Year

Car

Owner

1955

Plymouth Belvedere

Jason Rogers

1959

Imperial LeBaron
Southampton

Steve Bryan

1959

DeSoto Sportsman

John Clines

1960

Chrysler New Yorker
Town & Country

Chris Hawkins

1960

Corvair (Honorary
Mention)

Robert Soule

1962

Imperial Crown
Southampton

Jeff Carrothers

1963

Chrysler Newport
(survivor)

Don Hellstrom

1964

Imperial Crown

Robert Soule

1965

Imperial LeBaron

Elijah Scott

1965

Chrysler 300
Convertible

Robert Soule

1965

Chrysler New Yorker

Robert Soule

1966

Imperial LeBaron

Chris Hawkins

1966

Chrysler 300

Robert Soule

1967

Chrysler Newport Town
& Country

Jean Chesney

1968

Imperial LeBaron

Robert Soule

1968

Imperial Crown
Convertible

Robert Soule

1968

Chrysler Newport

Robert Soule

1971

Imperial LeBaron

Elijah Scott

1973

Imperial LeBaron

Kerry Pinkerton

1976

Chrysler New Yorker
Brougham

Dennis Shrader

1991

Dodge Shadow
Convertible

Laqueta Soule

There were also several folks who came along to enjoy the ride, including Mark Harris (1965 Imperial LeBaron in absentia),
Bill Clifton, Donald Taccone (1956 Imperial sedan in absentia), Debbie
Brown and her son Alex, Todd "Mr.G" Stennis (1968 Imperial LeBaron in absentia),
John Shuty (1969 New Yorker in absentia), Murray Vise (1965 Chrysler 300 L convertible in absentia),
Cecil McCall (recent owner of a 1964 Ghia Crown Imperial), and Ed Jones (1964 Imperial Crown convertible in absentia).

The weather on Friday afternoon was absolutely perfect, so naturally convertible tops were down and everyone enjoyed the fresh air of East Tennessee. The cookout at the Soule home was great and we all appreciated their efforts to provide a good "spread." Each new arrival generated excitement among the crowd!

By
the time the cookout started Friday evening, we had everything from a '55
Plymouth to a '76 New Yorker Brougham. After dinner, we took time to drive around in some of the cars. With all the good cars and good Mopar fellowship, everyone was up until after midnight enjoying the evening.

Saturday was a FULL day, with folks meeting at the hotel parking lot about 10:00 a.m. We spent the entire day driving, talking,
sharing Imperial knowledge, and generally having a good time.

Jason Rogers came over from Jackson, TN, with this adorable '55
Plymouth. This younger cousin of the Imperials and Chryslers fit right in
and made a nice presentation. This car was from the first year of the
Forward Look, and the color scheme is right on target for 1955!

Steve Bryan won the long-distance award (well, there were no formal awards) for bringing his
'59 Imperial LeBaron,
known as "Eileen," up from Florida. Other than a broken fan belt, he said the car performed flawlessly for the entire trip.
The '59 Imperial has always been one of my favorites, so I was excited to see
Steve's car.

Here are some further
detailed shots of Steve's '59 LeBaron. This car is nicely optioned,
including the FlightSweep decklid and the stainless steel roof insert!

Imperial's
"little" cousin for 1959 was this 1959 DeSoto Sportsman, owned by John
Clines. Another fine expression of the Forward Look, the '59 DeSoto
expresses an exuberant, sporty look from front to rear, highlighted by the
two-tone paint and swept-back tailfins. Delightful, De-Lovely, DeSoto!

Chris
Hawkins is the proud owner of this 1960 Chrysler New Yorker Town and
Country. And he has a right to be proud -- it's a STUNNING
automobile! Chris has done most of the restoration of this car himself,
including the paint, and it's fantastic inside and out.

Jeff
Carrothers is the owner of this fine
1962 Imperial Crown Southampton. The Cocoa Metallic cloth and leather
interior is a beautiful example of Imperial opulence. And, of course,
nothing beats those 1962 Imperial taillights!

While 1963 is a year that some folks
don't care for, this '63 Chrysler Newport might change their minds! Owned
by Don Hellstrom, this car is an all original and somewhat unusual car.
It's a four door sedan equipped with crank windows, manual steering, and yes,
even manual transmission!
With a 361 engine mounted to the 3 speed shifter, it's a pretty peppy car.

The 1965 Chryslers were undoubtedly
some of the finest automotive designs to come out of Detroit, and this '65
Chrysler New Yorker, owned by Robert
Soule, certainly proves that
statement. It's a beautiful car inside and out, demonstrating one of the
finest examples of Elwood Engle styling.

This 1965 Chrysler 300 convertible is
also part of the Robert Soule
collection. It's a fun car to drive, and
with a 383 HP engine, it'll sure put the wind in your hair!

Chris
Hawkins also owns this
1966 Imperial LeBaron. It's absolutely one of the nicest '66 Imperials
that I've ever seen. Again, Chris has done all of the restoration of this
car himself, and has done an outstanding job! If you're a fan of the '66
Imperial, this is a car you must see! The embossed eagles on the "antique"
leather seats is the pinnacle of Imperial interior pinache. Also be sure to
enjoy a short video of Chris Hawkins' '66 Imperial
LeBaron in motion!

This 1968 Imperial LeBaron belongs to
Robert Soule. It's an
incredibly nice example of the '68 design. Robert states that this is the
nicest car he owns, and it's certainly worthy of that accolade. The car is
immaculate inside and out and is also well-optioned.

Robert Soule refers to this '68
Chrysler Newport hardtop as "old reliable." It is a comfortable
car that drives and performs extremely well on the road.

This 1971 Imperial LeBaron belongs to Elijah Scott. I've had this car
since October 1988, and have been slowly restoring it ever since.
At 240,000, it's still a great car to drive and enjoy!

Kerry
Pinkerton came over from Alabama for the day in his stunning '73
Imperial LeBaron. Kerry has done a HUGE amount of work to restore this
Imperial to top condition.

Jean
Chesney arrived from Knoxville with her 1967 Chrysler Newport Town & Country
station wagon. Station wagons have really become popular in the last few
years, which is pretty cool! Jean has had her '67 for a long time and is
very attached to it. She said that the paint was supposed
to have been silver with a hint of purple . . .
but since purple is her favorite color, she's
quite happy with the color of the car! All in all, I'd say the car looks
great inside and out!

Dennis
Shrader drove down from Clarkesville, TN, in this immaculate '76 Chrysler New
Yorker Brougham. Dennis has been the happy owner of this car for some
years and always enjoys driving it. The color combination is striking, and
the velour interior is the epitome of mid-'70s luxury. Imperial, of
course, was no longer available for 1976, but the New Yorker Brougham was
certainly a suitable "replacement."

All in all, the Southern Regional Meet did a good job of covering the region, with attendees from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee. Thanks to EVERYONE who attended for making the Meet a great success!
Special thanks go to Laqueta Soule, Sarah Rowe, and Debbie Brown for providing such a great meal. We all appreciated their hard work!